Sadly, our cosmos have been wrecked by winds and heavy rain over the last couple of days
They grew excessively tall this year (between 1.5 and 2m).
They flowered late, again (end of August)
But they were glorious!
Luminous, intense and beautiful
And they were most certainly dazzlng!
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That is a lovely rich colour. I have finally realised that they do flower so late as a rule here as well, and if I can deadhead them at least for a month or so they get bigger and better! Will you grow the same one next year?
Much as I love, love, love the colour, I think that am going to try a compact looker called ‘Sonata Carmine’ that Sarah Raven has recommended for containers. Of course I am also saving seed from these, so I can change my mind 😉
That is a pretty color. The foliage is nice, too: so light and feathery.
The foliage is a perfect foil for all manner of flowers, so luckily, cosmos provides good cutting material regardless of whether it gets round to flowering itself or not.
They are lovely!
Yes .. and I am still taking photos of them to get that ultimate, perfect shot! 😉
Beautiful! As much as I love C. bipinnatus, I’ve given up growing them due to powdery mildew and the inevitable tumbling you describe. I’ve found C. sulphureus more resistant to both issues, but of course, their colouring is very different.
Grrr, powdery mildew is such a nuisance. It’s done for my calendula 😦
I am going to try C. ‘Sonata Carmine’ next year, which is an allegedly compact version of ‘Dazzler’. Fingers crossed!
Wow I must get some of these for my vibrant border next year – although being so tall they will no doubt flop about the place! Maybe a shorter version exists?
Happily, I have recently found out that Sarah Raven is promoting Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata Carmine’ as a compact, pot-suitable version of the classic carmine Cosmos ‘Dazzler’, so I’ll be trying that next year!
Certainly dazzling in these photos, Allison!
They are even more arresting in real life, especially when newly opened. They fade a bit with age.
Those do seem tall, but with a colour like that, they’d want to shout it out, wouldn’t they?
Yes, indeed, but it is a shame that they are so terribly brittle. 😦